1.1 Kitzi's Tale
Author: [email protected], aka RosieCotton
Rating: PG
Genre: General/Romance
Setting: The Shire, March 1436
Please do not copy or post this story to another website, or use it for your own purposes, without my permission and/or without these additional comments. Feel free to link away!
Acknowledgements: The characters, setting, and much of the dialog belong to J.R.R. Tolkien, and I give full credit to him. Sam is my favorite character in Tolkien's work, and this is written with the deepest respect for both Tolkien and the noble Samwise.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter 3: The Gardener
~*~*~*~*~*~
Rosie looked at her husband with exasperation, and wondered, not for the first time, at how stubborn he could be.
"I think you should hire one, Sam," she repeated, "not just for while we are away, but to stay on afterward." She was careful to keep her tone even, for she was not angry, only concerned for his well-being.
Samwise looked at her. He had come home after a particularly long and trying day at the Mayor offices, and found Rosie busily packing clothes for the children. They were to leave in four days to meet the King, and Rose was not one to wait until the last minute to pack.
He sighed.
"It just don't seem right, Rose," he said, struggling to explain himself. "I mean, I'm a gardener. I've been taking care o' the Bag End gardens since I could walk. It just wouldn't be right to give it over to someone else. And besides, folk would say I was gettin' too high and mighty. 'Who's that Sam Gamgee think he is anyway, hiring a gardener when he can do the work just fine fer himself! Bein' mayor has made his head grow too large!' That's what folk will say." He ducked his head and studied his fingers. "It just don't seem right."
Rosie placed several pairs of rolled stockings into the pack, then came over to sit beside him. She studied his profile for a long moment, taking note of the fine lines around his eyes and the furrows of worry wandering across his brow. She had perceived the strain telling on him nearly two years before, shortly after he was reelected as Mayor. The King Elessar had declared the Mayor, Thain, and Master the 3 Counsellors of the North- Kingdom, and since then Sam's responsibilities had seemed to increase dramatically. He worked long hours with Merry and Pippin (Master and Thain, respectively) to order, educate and build the Shire and the outlying areas. At the time of his reelection, the Gamgees had three children beneath four years of age, and Rosie was pregnant with Primrose. The children were their greatest joy, but they also required a great deal of time and attention, and Sam was a devoted father who would not shirk his time with them. Between his duties as mayor, his responsibilities of family, and caring for the Bag End gardens, Sam was stretched much too thin. Rosie had been telling him so for over a year.
"Sam?" she asked gently, taking his hand in her own, "what does it matter what folk say? The children are too young to handle the garden on their own, though you have taught them a great deal, and you are too hard pressed now to care for it properly."
She paused, slowly tracing each of his fingers with her own and searching her mind for the right words. She knew that this was more than a matter of idle gossip or reputation.
By leaving Bag End and all of his wealth to Sam, Frodo had elevated Sam from one class into another. Sam's election, and reelection, to the mayorship was proof of that all on its own, and Sam was as gracious in his new role as he had ever been before. After all, being Mayor was a form of service as well as honor. Yet even after so many years, the adjustment was not complete. Sam had been raised to serve, not to be served, and the idea of taking someone for hire was a blow to his pride.
"Aye," Sam sighed at last, "I am hard pressed, and tho I thought it would ease back after a bit, it hasn't. I think the children could do the gardening on their own, at least Ellie and Frodo and Rosie-lass could, but I don't want them to be doing it, Rose." At this, he looked up at her, and there was a different sort of pride in his eyes than Rose had expected to see.
"Meaning no harm to my Gaffer's memory," Sam continued, "I have no regrets over my own raisin'. Not one, Rose. But somehow I think that Mr. Frodo would rather see our children running free over the Shire, like he and his cousins did when they were young, rather than bending their backs o'er the garden as I did." He sighed heavily and returned his gaze to his lap. "I know that he would, and so would I."
"As would I," Rosie said tenderly, lifting his hand to her lips and kissing it. "All the more reason that you should hire a gardener. The children can still help, and learn the love of growing things, without being burdened overmuch."
Sam said nothing.
"There is another reason," Rosie continued, sensing that her words were reaching him, "another reason why you do not want to hire someone, that you have not said outright." She lifted one hand to his chin, and tipped it up so that she could look into his face.
"You love to garden, Samwise Gamgee. You love it almost more than anything, and you can't bear the thought of giving it up."
Tears suddenly brimmed in his eyes, and as he nodded, they spilled over the lids and onto Rosie's hand, which still cradled his chin.
"Oh, Sam." Rosie took her husband into her arms and held him tightly, "You needn't give it up altogether. And the time will come again when you will be able to spend more time in the gardens again."
Sam nodded against her neck, but did not reply. Rosie pressed him against herself and ran her hands up and down his broad back.
"Sam," she asked gently, "When you were gardening for the Baggins' did you think ill of them, or resent their place over you?"
Sam pulled back, looking at his wife in surprise. "Of course not!" he said, indignance coloring his tone. "It were a joy serving them. I took pride in it – I still do, even though they have both gone."
"And do you think that Frodo or Bilbo ever thought low of you, or treated you as if you were less than they?"
"Of course not," Sam said again, "They treated me as if I was family."
"Well, see, now. It will be just the same for a lad that you hire." Rosie said logically.
Sam chewed this thought slowly for a moment, then suddenly embraced his wife again.
"Rose Gamgee, you are the sharpest lass in all The Shire, I do believe." He said affectionately. "You have made me see it in a whole new light. I am going to go straightaway and talk to Rudiger Boffin about gardening for us, starting right away."
"Good," said Rosie, kissing him lightly and standing up. "Perhaps I can get this packing done, then!"
~TBC~
Author: [email protected], aka RosieCotton
Rating: PG
Genre: General/Romance
Setting: The Shire, March 1436
Please do not copy or post this story to another website, or use it for your own purposes, without my permission and/or without these additional comments. Feel free to link away!
Acknowledgements: The characters, setting, and much of the dialog belong to J.R.R. Tolkien, and I give full credit to him. Sam is my favorite character in Tolkien's work, and this is written with the deepest respect for both Tolkien and the noble Samwise.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter 3: The Gardener
~*~*~*~*~*~
Rosie looked at her husband with exasperation, and wondered, not for the first time, at how stubborn he could be.
"I think you should hire one, Sam," she repeated, "not just for while we are away, but to stay on afterward." She was careful to keep her tone even, for she was not angry, only concerned for his well-being.
Samwise looked at her. He had come home after a particularly long and trying day at the Mayor offices, and found Rosie busily packing clothes for the children. They were to leave in four days to meet the King, and Rose was not one to wait until the last minute to pack.
He sighed.
"It just don't seem right, Rose," he said, struggling to explain himself. "I mean, I'm a gardener. I've been taking care o' the Bag End gardens since I could walk. It just wouldn't be right to give it over to someone else. And besides, folk would say I was gettin' too high and mighty. 'Who's that Sam Gamgee think he is anyway, hiring a gardener when he can do the work just fine fer himself! Bein' mayor has made his head grow too large!' That's what folk will say." He ducked his head and studied his fingers. "It just don't seem right."
Rosie placed several pairs of rolled stockings into the pack, then came over to sit beside him. She studied his profile for a long moment, taking note of the fine lines around his eyes and the furrows of worry wandering across his brow. She had perceived the strain telling on him nearly two years before, shortly after he was reelected as Mayor. The King Elessar had declared the Mayor, Thain, and Master the 3 Counsellors of the North- Kingdom, and since then Sam's responsibilities had seemed to increase dramatically. He worked long hours with Merry and Pippin (Master and Thain, respectively) to order, educate and build the Shire and the outlying areas. At the time of his reelection, the Gamgees had three children beneath four years of age, and Rosie was pregnant with Primrose. The children were their greatest joy, but they also required a great deal of time and attention, and Sam was a devoted father who would not shirk his time with them. Between his duties as mayor, his responsibilities of family, and caring for the Bag End gardens, Sam was stretched much too thin. Rosie had been telling him so for over a year.
"Sam?" she asked gently, taking his hand in her own, "what does it matter what folk say? The children are too young to handle the garden on their own, though you have taught them a great deal, and you are too hard pressed now to care for it properly."
She paused, slowly tracing each of his fingers with her own and searching her mind for the right words. She knew that this was more than a matter of idle gossip or reputation.
By leaving Bag End and all of his wealth to Sam, Frodo had elevated Sam from one class into another. Sam's election, and reelection, to the mayorship was proof of that all on its own, and Sam was as gracious in his new role as he had ever been before. After all, being Mayor was a form of service as well as honor. Yet even after so many years, the adjustment was not complete. Sam had been raised to serve, not to be served, and the idea of taking someone for hire was a blow to his pride.
"Aye," Sam sighed at last, "I am hard pressed, and tho I thought it would ease back after a bit, it hasn't. I think the children could do the gardening on their own, at least Ellie and Frodo and Rosie-lass could, but I don't want them to be doing it, Rose." At this, he looked up at her, and there was a different sort of pride in his eyes than Rose had expected to see.
"Meaning no harm to my Gaffer's memory," Sam continued, "I have no regrets over my own raisin'. Not one, Rose. But somehow I think that Mr. Frodo would rather see our children running free over the Shire, like he and his cousins did when they were young, rather than bending their backs o'er the garden as I did." He sighed heavily and returned his gaze to his lap. "I know that he would, and so would I."
"As would I," Rosie said tenderly, lifting his hand to her lips and kissing it. "All the more reason that you should hire a gardener. The children can still help, and learn the love of growing things, without being burdened overmuch."
Sam said nothing.
"There is another reason," Rosie continued, sensing that her words were reaching him, "another reason why you do not want to hire someone, that you have not said outright." She lifted one hand to his chin, and tipped it up so that she could look into his face.
"You love to garden, Samwise Gamgee. You love it almost more than anything, and you can't bear the thought of giving it up."
Tears suddenly brimmed in his eyes, and as he nodded, they spilled over the lids and onto Rosie's hand, which still cradled his chin.
"Oh, Sam." Rosie took her husband into her arms and held him tightly, "You needn't give it up altogether. And the time will come again when you will be able to spend more time in the gardens again."
Sam nodded against her neck, but did not reply. Rosie pressed him against herself and ran her hands up and down his broad back.
"Sam," she asked gently, "When you were gardening for the Baggins' did you think ill of them, or resent their place over you?"
Sam pulled back, looking at his wife in surprise. "Of course not!" he said, indignance coloring his tone. "It were a joy serving them. I took pride in it – I still do, even though they have both gone."
"And do you think that Frodo or Bilbo ever thought low of you, or treated you as if you were less than they?"
"Of course not," Sam said again, "They treated me as if I was family."
"Well, see, now. It will be just the same for a lad that you hire." Rosie said logically.
Sam chewed this thought slowly for a moment, then suddenly embraced his wife again.
"Rose Gamgee, you are the sharpest lass in all The Shire, I do believe." He said affectionately. "You have made me see it in a whole new light. I am going to go straightaway and talk to Rudiger Boffin about gardening for us, starting right away."
"Good," said Rosie, kissing him lightly and standing up. "Perhaps I can get this packing done, then!"
~TBC~